Nerve block procedure is safe in children, report researchers

A regional anesthesia procedure widely used for surgery in infants and young children is effective and safe, with a minimal rate of serious complications, concludes a large database study.

On analysis of more than 18,000 procedures, caudal nerve block in children has a complication rate of fewer than two percent, with little or no risk of long-term adverse effects, according to the report by Dr Santhanam Suresh and colleagues of Northwestern University, Chicago. But the study shows variation in the local anesthetic doses used for caudal block, raising concern about potential toxic effects.